


Rebound

by louquorice



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Fix-It of Sorts, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, btw. Spoilers for chapter 1, but just know this is intended as romantic lol, can be read as platonic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:33:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26111185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/louquorice/pseuds/louquorice
Summary: Kaede knows she's acting objectively suspicious. She wants to berate Shuichi for being oblivious to her suspicious behavior, seeing that they've already ruled the vent as 'harmless' and now she's spending so much time (pointlessly) stacking books on a shelf.But in a weird twisted way, she's thankful for this blindspot, and it eats away at her because she knows he trusts her without a doubt.And then, Kirumi walks into the Library.
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede & Tojo Kirumi, Akamatsu Kaede/Tojo Kirumi
Comments: 1
Kudos: 30





	Rebound

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted the two of them interacting more, is that too much to ask in canon? huhuhu
> 
> Anyway, I've written the first part of the update for [Getting Along Like A Killer Harmony](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14818044/chapters/34289031) but idk when it'll drop. I'm having trouble moving the plot ;w;
> 
> In the meantime, have this... kaerumi thing that i've been wanting to write for some time.

"I need a glass of water," Akamatsu mutters under her breath as she wipes at the sheen of sweat on her neck, striding towards the kitchen. 

She sighs, exasperated. She really needed to act on her plan somehow. There must be a way to lure Saihara out of the Library. He’s not as codependent as he seems to be at first, and has become quite reliable thanks to her own encouragement. How ironic that he now poses as a problem for her set-up. Not so much about revealing her as the culprit, she’s confident he could rightly expose her when the time comes. But for now, he’s a problem and it frustrates her.

She pushes the door to the kitchen more forcefully than intended, and it swings too broadly.

Tojo manages to avoid the swing of the door, but still loses her footing. She doesn’t quite plop on the floor ungracefully, only staggering backwards, but some of the contents on the tray she was holding drop on the floor.

Akamatsu winces as a cup shatters.

“I’m sorry!”

“I apologize.”

She blinks at that, before shaking her head. “No, don’t apologize. It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have opened the door like that.”

Tojo places the tray on the table. “It’s fine, Akamatsu-san. As a maid, I should have been prepared for such circumstances.“

“I don’t think anyone is trained to anticipate a door frame smacking them…”

There’s a twitch on Tojo’s visible eye, and her lips flatten. Before she could say anything else, Akamatsu bounds off to retrieve a broom. “I’ll help you clean up!” Knowing the maid, she will always turn down any offer of help if you ask for her permission.

“That… won’t be necessary,” Tojo says, though it sounds clipped and automatic. As usual.

“I want to help!” Akamatsu calls out. When she returns from the pantry area with the broom, she finds Tojo crouched down, rug in hand, wiping the floor of caramel brown liquid. Probably tea.

_Where- How did she get that rug? Does she always keep a rug with her? Then again… it’s not far off…_ Akamatsu thinks, furrowing her brow before shaking away her thoughts. She sweeps the floor of the shattered glass, and frowns at the dropped pieces of garlic bread. She really didn’t mean to waste food, nor startle the maid so badly that she doesn’t perform perfectly-

“I’m really sorry, Tojo-san. I’ll make it up to you.”

“It’s fine, Akamatsu-san,” the maid repeats, though she sounds a bit weary. She remains hunched over on the floor, and only then did Akamatsu noticed the slump of her shoulders and less graceful movements.

Akamatsu glances at the tray on the table. A plate of garlic bread. Some slices of toast, and a bottle of jam. Two teapots and three- well, it used to be four- cups. It’s not a buffet, but she can’t help but be annoyed by the ‘requests.’

“Who were these for?”

Tojo stops wiping for a moment, then looks at her, confused. “Pardon?”

“The… tray?” _Yeah, she’s really out of it._

“Ah.” Tojo closes her eyes briefly, sighing softly before resuming her task on the floor. “Yonaga-san asked for some jam toast, Shinguji-san typically has afternoon snacks and Ouma-san-“

“So this is why you’re tired. Please tell me you set a time during the day where you don’t entertain requests.”

The maid stands up, having finished wiping the floor. She faces her. “I appreciate the concern, but-“

Akamatsu narrows her eyes. “No, you don’t.”

Tojo’s eye twitches again.

“Because if you did appreciate it, you would have listened to me. Give yourself a short break too. You’re not our maid.”

For the first time ever, Akamatsu hears the prim and proper Tojo Kirumi let out an undignified sound. A groan of frustration.

“I don’t see how my way of looking out for everyone is different from yours,” Tojo says gruffly.

Although surprised of the new behavior, Akamatsu doesn’t back down. She has to admit though, they really aren’t that far off from each other when it comes to that. “But I still give time for myself. If I don’t, who will?” She huffs. “I can’t just rely on-“ She abruptly shuts her mouth.

Tojo raises a brow.

Akamatsu clears her throat, and feigns sweeping in more shards into the dustpan. She turns toward the maid and forces out a small smile. “Just… be kinder to yourself, Tojo-san. You’re not just a maid, you’re also our friend.”

After disposing of the broken glass, she leaves the kitchen without another word.

* * *

The knots twisting in her stomach intensify as her hands busily arrange the book on top of the shelf. Half of her wants to berate Saihara for being clueless to what she was doing. She knows she’s being downright suspicious, to spend this much time arranging books on a shelf when they’ve already ruled out the vent as 'harmless.'

But the other half is glad he doesn’t notice... because he has come to **trust** her. The knot tightens further.

The Library door creaks open, startling them both.

“Oh, hello Tojo-san,” Saihara says. Tojo returns the greeting. “Um, did you need something?” he continues.

“Well, I… wanted to do a little reading. It’s my free time.”

_Now, of all times?!_ Akamatsu curses under her breath, but tries to maintain her casual demeanor. “That’s great, Tojo-san,” she chirps. “Finally taking my advice?”

Tojo looks up at her. Her eye(s) soften. “It seems that can wait.”

The pianist blinks. “Wh-What?”

“Frankly, I’ve been meaning to clean up down here. Let me help you.”

“No, don’t! I don’t need- it’s fine, really!” Akamatsu grimaces at how panicked she sounds. “It’s your free time, yeah?”

Tojo tilts her head, bemused. Then she finally says, “I want to help you,” before disappearing somewhere else in the library, likely to retrieve another ladder.

The pianist heaves a sigh. She catches Saihara looking at her oddly from the corner of her eye. She shoots him a tired smile, shrugs, and returns to her task of arranging the books as if nothing just transpired.

After a while, Tojo returns with a retractable ladder, carrying it effortlessly across the threshold. Saihara moves in to help her, and she lets him. Strangely enough, he doesn’t offer to help arrange the books in her behalf, and Akamatsu doesn’t know which scenario is worse.

Akamatsu continues to arrange the books, although a bit more randomly now. But since she is already at the last third of books on the shelves, the two thirds she had already arranged still clearly show the _path_ from the vent.

And she knows when Tojo sees it, because she freezes after scaling the ladder. She can’t entirely discern her reaction because of the long, elegant bangs that cover the side of her face she has a view of, but her quiet reaction is enough. It's not lost to her that Tojo is quite intelligent, for sure she has already connected some of the dots. _I’m done for_ , she thinks grimly, biting her lower lip.

The maid starts stacking up some books, though she seems careful enough not to disturb the arranged path. Akamatsu looks away, the guilt gnaws at her insides.

“Um, are you doing okay, Akamatsu-san?” Saihara asks softly from below.

“Huh?”

“You stopped…”

“Oh, oh right. Sorry.” She holds up an already open book. It’s the book that was intended to direct the ball toward the target’s head. The shotput ball in her backpack suddenly feels heavier than it should. The crunch it would make on a fragile human skull must be deafening. It takes most of her willpower to keep her hands from shaking. “Was doing a little reading…” she manages to say evenly.

Tojo remains silent. The tight knots in her stomach slowly push their way up her throat.

As soon as she ‘finishes’ arranging, she makes up a stupid excuse to leave the Library. Thankfully, Saihara doesn't follow.

* * *

"Kami, that was stupid!" Akamatsu laments, rubbing her temples.

Her stupid platitudes got in her way again. With the deadline fast approaching, her only window to kill the mastermind has rapidly closed. There's really no point going through with it. Tojo knows she was attempting something nefarious, and probably already told Saihara after she left. Then both of them will tell everyone, how their idiot pianist "de-facto leader" carefully crafted herself to be trustworthy only to be the first to go behind everyone's backs. Maybe she is no different to Ouma, the resident compulsive liar. Worse even.

Murder, she was really going to commit murder. Why did she even allow herself to think murder would have been the answer? She really is that far gone... to be willing to play into the hands of whoever put them here. Not to mention that her Rube Goldberg murder machine actually had a huge flaw, one she only realized when she looked at Tojo standing by the vent, staring at her 'masterpiece.' **It was going to make noise**. So much noise. The target would have been alerted from a mile away, and she's pretty sure the Mastermind wouldn't be a big idiot. Like her.

She groans into her hands. Then she hears footsteps. _Oh, shoot._

She was hiding away in the back garden, tucked behind some tall, overgrown grass. Whoever it was must really be looking for her, and there are only two people who would want to give her a good talk. Or they're going to murder her in retaliation.

Tojo steps into view, carrying a watering can and trowel. An odd choice for murder weapons.

"Hey, Tojo-san," she greets weakly. "I guess I deserve what's coming for me, huh?"

The maid blinks once, twice. "I believe I don't follow."

"Um, you were going to do something with those?" She says, pointing at the items she's holding.

"Yes, I typically tend to the vegetable garden at this hour."

"Huh..." Akamatsu narrows her eyes, then looks around, finally spotting said garden she was sitting near to. "Right. Of course."

Tojo dips her head slightly, then walks over to the vegetable plots. Akamatsu remains firmly seated on the rock, eyeing the maid as she works. It's always fascinating to see her work. Neither of them says anything for awhile, with her unable to work up the courage to offer help like she usually does.

Unexpectedly, the maid speaks up, "Would you like to help me, Akamatsu-san?"

The knots suddenly clog at the base of her mouth. "R-Really?" She sputters. "After I-- I mean..."

Tojo pauses from her work to look at her, expression unreadable. It's terrifying.

Akamatsu sucks in a breath. "Yo-You saw what I was doing..."

"And what were you doing exactly?"

"Come on, Tojo-san. I know you know."

Her eye(s) narrow. "What if I don't? Are you always going to assume the worst from us?"

"Er, what? I'm not... Look, just- I understand if you would no longer trust me for what I did, okay?"

Tojo sets down the trowel and straightens up, facing the pianist. "You keep referencing this seemingly deplorable act that I have no idea of, while crucifying yourself. I would much rather understand the full context, Akamatsu-san."

"The books! You saw the arrangement," Akamatsu says, standing up. She wildly gestures her hands pointing vaguely toward the direction of the Library. "You know I'm up to something!"

"You are?"

"What the heck, Tojo-san! This is such a weird way to get a confession from me!"

Tojo pauses. "So, Saihara-san had no idea about that..."

"What do you mean? Of course, he doesn't."

"I presumed that was part of your plan together."

Akamatsu stares at her, dumbfounded. "You didn't think to ask him about it?"

"There was no reason to. I trust that both of you were communicating effectively." Tojo purses her lips before continuing, "apparently not."

The pianist curses, pacing around in a small space. "Yeah! We weren't communicating more honestly. He has his own plan to trap the mastermind, and I altered it so it would kill them instead! I--" She stares at the ground angrily, clenching her fists at her side. "I wanted to end the killing game by... killing. Ugh, it really does sound stupid when I say it out loud."

"I understand," the maid says curtly. "You had a noble purpose."

She suppresses a bubbling groan. Count on Tojo to be pragmatic. "It's still wrong! And I knew it wasn't going to work perfectly. It's already such a half-baked plan and I was willing to let Saihara-kun march me to my coffin. I was going to traumatize the boy for some stupid platitude..."

"That you don't really believe in," Tojo replies in a manner-of-fact tone.

Akamatsu looks up at the maid in surprise.

"I'm beginning to think this isn't because you don't trust us, rather you don't trust yourself and you are projecting it on us."

She gulps. "I..."

"You ought to give yourself a little more credit, Akamatsu-san. You may act like it's all a farce, but sometimes a symbol is enough."

The pianist smiles wanly, shaking her head slowly. "But it's a bit disingenuous, don't you think?"

"Did that ever bother you before?"

"No, I guess not." Akamatsu forces out a giggle. "I'm really not a good person, am I?"

"We all have our demons, maybe it's time you were kinder to yourself too."

"You keep reflecting back a lot of my words, Tojo-san."

The corners of Tojo's lips quirk upward slightly. "Disingenuous or not, you have an effect on people, Akamatsu-san." _She's smiling...?_

Despite herself, the pianist blushes. "Er... thanks, I guess?"

All of a sudden, Ouma pops into view. "There you are, mom!"

Akamatsu gasps loudly. "Ouma-kun, do not sneak up on us like that!" _Shoot, I didn't hear him approach. How much did he hear?!_

The supreme leader gives her a once over, as if he just noticed she was there. "Oh, you're here too, Akamatsu-chan?" He glances at the maid, then back at her. "I see! A secret rendezvous with the other mom!"

"Wha-- No! We're not doing anything like that!" Akamatsu yells indignantly, the heat on her cheeks deepening, at the same time as Tojo's dry protest of, "Do not refer to me as your mother."

"Nishishishi! Well, I don't really care who hooks up with who," Ouma drawls, prompting another embarrassed shriek from the pianist. "Anyway, mom! I'd like a snack, please!"

There's a twitch from the maid's eye, a tell Akamatsu has learned signifies annoyance. "Very well," she says at last.

Akamatsu stops her mouth from saying a reprimand, given their earlier conversation. "I'll-- I'll come with. I could use a snack too."

"Already so possessive, Akamatsu-chan? I thought you were trying to get into Saihara-chan's pants!"

She groans exasperatedly. "Will you stop that! It's been a long day, I'm tired and hungry." She has been lugging around a shotput ball in her backpack all day. She ought to return it in the warehouse inconspicuously at some point.

Ouma shrugs, then walks off first. "Whatever you say..."

From beside her, Tojo whispers, "You don't have to let your paranoia get to you. I'm sure he didn't hear us earlier."

"Eh, it's not that. I really do want a snack."

"Hm, alright."

Akamatsu could almost hear the unspoken " _But you could have asked earlier._ "

\--

When they reach the side door to the kitchen, they are greeted with a lone Shinguji sitting at the dining table with a book in hand. "There you are, Tojo-san. I was wondering when you would be back." Akamatsu and Ouma settle themselves there as well.

"Your usual I presume, Shinguji-san?" Tojo replies, and the anthropologist nods.

"I'd like some coffee, mom! And some hazelnut cookies!" Ouma chirps.

"And you, Akamatsu-san?"

She scratches her cheek. "Some orange juice? And some cookies too, I guess."

"Hah, pansy. Can't handle a bit of stimulants, Akamatsu-chan?"

"I don't want to stay awake deep into the night. It's too late in the afternoon for coffee!"

Ouma snorts. "You're seriously expecting another night here? Pretty sure Monokuma's gonna send his goons to massacre us any minute now, nishishi."

Akamatsu bristles at that. Well, they all sure seem calm at the prospect of impending demise. Then again, she has resigned herself to that same fate the moment she started scheming.

"Ah, yes. The deadline approaches," Shinguji chimes in. "If I recall correctly, you and Saihara-kun have a plan, Akamatsu-san?"

"Yeah, I'm... gonna check up on him after this."

Just then, the monitor in the kitchen crackles to life. "Ding Dong Bing Bong!" Monokuma appears, champagne in hand, surrounded by a selection of fine dining food. "A body has been discovered! Everyone, please gather in the **Library**!"

Akamatsu's heart almost leaps out of her chest. "W-What?"

**Author's Note:**

> Whose body is it you ask? I'll leave it to y'alls imagination ;)


End file.
